Field Observation
Date - 6/3/99
Place - Site S
Purpose - To shadow Sub F
7:15
7:20
7:25 Students in ER. Subject isn't present. Teacher takes
attendance and lunch count. Students come here instead of their
regular home room. Kids talking quietly. Books surround several
walls. Posters and banners on the walls. Video equipment and tapes
sprawled everywhere. Play props. Lots of filing cabinets. Computers
along the walls. White boards filled with info.
7:30 Teacher made announcements about how today's routine would
be different. Announcements on intercom. Today practice public
speaking performances. Students go to get missing students.
Teacher's desk in middle of room and student desks surround it on
three sides. Individuals practicing. Students still trying to track
down students. One students practicing out loud. One bulletin board
full of student pictures. (today's schedule happens to be the same
as when I did the general observation.
7:35 Student ask if her group can go out in the hall. Subject F
is absent today, but I'll follow her schedule. Students looking over
their speeches. One group speaking out loud. Students coming and
going. Teacher looking over papers on his desk. The two girls doing
it out loud are doing well and seem to only look occasionally at
their papers. The others just looking over their papers and not
speaking out loud. The boys aren't even talking with each other.
Tired faces, rubbing eyes, hunched shoulders. Girls go to a
sing-song part of the speech. Teacher adds a few comical gestures.
Another student asks if she is supposed to be flat.
7:40 Another student starts his speech at the same time, speaking
quietly while his partner reads along and checks his progress. It
seems like many go the students are now out of the room. Teacher
goes outside (to check on students?). Students get phone when it
rings, teacher comes and takes it. students go on practicing.
7:45 Teacher called in all of the students again. Made sure
everyone had copies of the invitations. Teacher somewhat
uncomfortable with my being here. Keeps looking at me. Teacher
talked about expectations including having a prompter. Uses dry
humor. seems pleasant and approachable. Treats the students as
equals. First student goes.
7:50 Student doing very well and topic was interesting (from
Black Like Me). Teacher doing some prompting. Student did awesome.
Teacher told others that student "had thrown down the gauntlet
and set the standard that the rest of you must meet." Switched
to the group doing MacBeth. Students gave some feedback and
suggestions to first student.
7:55 (room is getting VERY hot. fan is going, but doors are
closed) Shakespeare group goes. Group doing well. When they finish,
teacher gives some feedback to them.
8:00 Girls talk about their second speech, this one about MacBeth
and the witches. Teacher gives some extra info about the scene. Rest
of class listening.
8:05 A student prompts them. Girls finish. Teacher gives them
some concrete feedback. Both about the presentations and . Talked
about where they would go from here. One group (mine) will stay
while 8th grade Lang Arts comes in. Teacher tells them to practice
until next Tuesday.
8:10 8th graders come in. Teacher introduces the 7th grade
speakers to the 8th graders. Teacher gives me feedback that Subject
F (although absent today) as already taken the initiative to
practice. They had gone over it yesterday and she did a good job.
Her topic is the "true" story of Humpty Dumpty. New group
goes. Appears uncomfortable, and don't know lines as well as last
group. Their topic, however is "An Analysis of Scooby-Doo"
8:15 Teacher teases prompter to do a better job prompting when
student doesn't know line. Kids have humor in their presentation.
Teacher had the class do a funny one clap then snapping fingers.
"you gentlemen are lucky since you are in the presence of a
unique group of thespians!" (very wry) one boy says I don't
know what that means.
8:20 Teacher using a lot of humor. They're giving a lot of very
critical criticism, but done in a way that it sounded supportive.
Last 7th grade group won't go (teacher had already heard them and
knows that they are doing well). Teacher uses a lot of humor.
Another 7th grader goes. Teacher makes sure that he is reciting, not
reading. Student makes fun of his own nervousness.
8:25 Gets lots more feedback. People laughing. Feedback is good,
but critical. Again delivered with humor and by being supportive.
They want to make sure that he knows what to do to be successful.
Last group instructed to keep working. 8th graders go to work on
their projects. Students grab folder and tapes. (video projects)
Students broke into groups. One group dubbing their tape, another
watches their tape and reads a script. Another grabs musical
instruments another out in the hall. 7th graders listing their
groups and their speech topics on one white board. Teacher cleans
off the other (large) white board).
8:30 Musicians practicing quietly in a corner. Students work on
projects
8:35 Students work on projects. Teacher talks with me about
technology and where technology has gone in the school and the
district.
8:40 Students work on projects. One calls information to get the
phone number of a local business. The two guitarists are playing the
Star Wars theme.. Teacher goes out in hall to check on other groups.
Kids problem solving
8:45 Projects: sound tracks for soap operas (parody), music,
focus on stretching their abilities, toxic pollution in Maine bill -
checking on the validity of the article, and why the bill is
controversial. Teacher talking informally with students about their
projects. Helping the student make the phone work.
8:50 Students getting organized to leave. Returning TV, putting
away materials. Some students already leaving. Other groups
finishing up.
8:55 Exploratory - Until 9:40
9:40 Science - Kids working on Louvee-air cars. Students
finishing their projects given their last pieces of tape. Cars built
around a paper cylinder with paper tires straw and paperclip axles
and powered by a rubber band and a paper propeller. Students have 20
minutes for final modifications and then will run their last tests.
9:45 Teacher reminded class of problem constraints. Passed out
tape by table. Kids working on their cars, testing on their tables.
Teacher giving advice on testing and problem solving their cars.
9:50 Kids working and talking and moving around, but noise level
is down and people are productive. Teacher stands at head of room
and looks over their room and talks to individual students from
where he stands. Some students come up to him with questions or to
show what they have does so far or to get help troubleshooting.
9:55 Teacher gives individual students specific suggestions and
observations about their cars. Tchr checks how much more time they
have for modifications.
10:00 Still working on trouble-shooting and privately testing
cars. teacher asked that everything be cleared from their desks,
except the car. Return all materials. Kids trying to finish up
Students putting things away. Teacher writes on board - several
numbers (1, 2, 3) and the words Roll, Prop-Moved, and Dist. - 6 feet
(2m) - had to meet these requirements for an A (one off for a B and
two off for a C). Today, requirements are tougher - must move 6 feet
(goes over how that effects your grade) can earn an A+
10:05 Teacher read off the order that students would be doing. No
one else should be playing with their car - all eyes forward.
teacher has some sort of paper whit records. As students try,
teacher goes over with entire class how it met the requirements
(students kind of involved even while sitting at their seat).
teacher adds cute, informal commentary. Comfortable atmosphere.
10:10 continue with testing and commentary. teacher lets students
know who is coming up. Very positive attitude. More testing and
joking. Lots of friendly interaction.
10:15 Still testing. Kids watching the tests, talking about their
cars. Testing their cars, winding propellers. sitting on desks. But
noise level is generally low. Reminded students in a friendly way
about not playing with cars.
10:20 Still testing. Called all eyes forward. Talked about how
cars had progressed. Joked about student's car that didn't work
first time and the pressure to make it work. Extra credit by working
on it during quiet study to raise it half a letter grade. If you
don't want extra points, then throw them away. Don't leave them in
locker or on lockers. Dismissed for Break.
10:25 Break - until 10:40
10:40 Math - until 11:20 (math's not part of this project at this
site)
11:20 Social Studies - South America - Kids come into class.
Interacts easily with students. Ignores a student who wants to move
his seat. Teacher checked in with students about the worksheet
they've been working on. Will go over some of it today.
11:25 We'll work on worksheet and when finished can work on
homework for other classes. Can use paper to get ready for test.
Loosing paper means that you're out of luck. Kids wondered how the
test would effect their grade. Talked about moving the text from
next Tuesday to next Thursday. Described what kinds of questions are
on the test. Wanted students to know what to expect on the test.
11:30 Started going over the worksheet questions. Asked questions
to extend student knowledge. Talked about George Washington and
someone who is the "South American George Washington"
(Simone Bolivar). Connected a country's freedom with young people
getting freedom - connected to kid's own lives. What is it like to
live with your parents - conditions?
11:35 What do you need in order to be successful living on your
own. Eventually got to making some rules for yourself. Used lots of
questions to get kids to connect. What happens if you don't live by
your rules? What do you need? Responsibilities and Rules. Now let's
carry that back? What was going on in those countries when they
gained independence? lack of money, literacy, rights. Poor.
Rivalries. Dictatorships.
11:40 Continued going over the sheet. Put a lot of time going
into more depth with the questions. Kept probing and probing. Helped
students connect to their own lives.
11:45 Still discussing questions on the sheets. Moved on to page
43. I'm going to go around the room and ask everyone a question.
What are the factors involved with building a house - comparing
different climates. Why don't we have flat roofs on your house?
11:50 Spent a lot of time connecting residential architecture to
the climate or location. Got back to the question on the paper - if
you live in a dry climate - adobe - kept asking more and more
questions to get students to connect to it.
11:55 Lots and lots of questions to connect and to extend
understanding. What's the advantage of a stone house in cold
leather? How many of you have felt and asphalt drive after the sun
has shined on it all day? It not only traps the heat inside, but it
absorbs the heat. What do you need on a farm if you want it to be
successful? good soil. How many of you have tried to plant something
in bad soil? What happens? Workers. Livestock. In order to grow
something what do you need (acknowledges but ignores answers that
are off track)? water. irrigation. the right tools. Is it easier to
do it by machine or by hand? good seeds. What's a bad seed? Jokes
with a student about dropping a whole tomato on the ground and
hoping it will grow.
12:00 The other thing you need is good land without erosion.
What's erosion? Kids came in from the chorus field trip. Teacher got
them clued in to where they were. How can you prevent erosion?
Connected to a local river. Went to Spanish words. What's a
tortilla? What does it look like? What's it made from? Lots of
questions. Starches. Connected to ones they eat. How do you know
they have starch? What happens when you boil them? What happens to
the water?
12:05 Continued going over vocabulary. Lots of questions to help
student connect and to extend understanding. Right now you are
either finishing this paper or going to your locker to get a book.
Reminded them of work they needed to do in other classes. About half
the students went out into the hall.
12:10 Students working quietly. Some moving, some talking, but
students appear on task. Teacher circulates to see how students are
coming on their sheet for class. Aid works in corner of room whit a
few students. Everyone settled in and working silently. teacher made
sure that one student doing nothing had something to do. Helped find
him a calculator so he could work. Called a student up to go over
her paper.
12:15 Helped a student find her folder and figure out how it got
into another room. "sounds like the guy who did this needs to
be roughed up." do you need me to do it? "No, no, I’ll
do it." Students continue working.
12:20 Students still working very quietly. Who wants to
participate? Asked questions and students raised their hands to
answer. Could keep working if they wanted. Correct answers earned a
piece of candy. Questions came from the unit. Teacher called on a
variety of students.
12:25 Students really trying to answer the questions even a boy
who wan not paying attention during the rest of the class. A student
got a second answer and the teacher suggested that he give it to
someone who hasn't gotten one. He got to choose who. Last question
and you have to sing the song! Don't loose your heart to Argentina.
Dismissed to lunch.
12:30 Lunch (until 12:50)
12:50 Study Time (until 1:30)
1:30 Dismissal
